Mayo Clinic's approach
Kidney transplant consultation
Kidney transplant consultation at Mayo Clinic
Note: Items within this content were created prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and do not demonstrate proper pandemic protocols. Please follow all recommended Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for masking and social distancing.
Teamwork
At Mayo Clinic, an integrated team of doctors trained in kidney disease (nephrologists), abdominal transplant surgery, infectious disease management and other specialties is focused on the needs of you and your family. Surgeons, doctors, transplant nurses, pharmacists, social workers and others work together to manage every aspect of your kidney transplant, from planning through post-surgical care.
Care team roles
Health care professionals trained in many medical specialties work together as a team to ensure favorable outcomes from your kidney transplant.
Coordinated care
Having all of this subspecialized expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you're not just getting one opinion — your care is discussed among the team, your test results are available quickly, appointments are scheduled in coordination, and your transplant care team works together to determine what's best for you.
Surgical expertise
Mayo Clinic surgeons perform nearly 950 kidney transplants a year, including numerous complex surgical procedures at campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. As a three-site institution, Mayo Clinic has one of the largest living-donor kidney transplant and paired kidney donor programs in the United States.
Our experts have pioneered many procedures, including living-donor kidney transplants and kidney transplant before dialysis is needed. The Mayo Clinic kidney transplant team has extensive experience in the most complex types of kidney transplantation, including ABO incompatible, positive crossmatch and paired donation kidney transplants.
Start Your Donor Evaluation
Begin the process of becoming a living kidney or liver donor by clicking here to complete a health history questionnaire.
Pediatric kidney transplant surgery is also provided to children at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona.
Mayo Clinic also offers kidney transplants to select candidates with hepatitis B and C and treated HIV.
Kidney transplant outcomes at Mayo Clinic compare favorably with the national average.
Research
Researchers at Mayo Clinic are actively engaged in developing new technologies, treatments and techniques to make transplants safer and available to more people.
Mayo Clinic researchers were part of a major U.S. study that pioneered a new pre-transplant immune system treatment to expand the use of incompatible living-donor kidney transplants — an innovation that means less time on dialysis waiting for a perfect match for many people whose immune systems previously wouldn't tolerate a living-donor kidney.
At Mayo Clinic, you may have access to ongoing clinical trials, research and new treatments.
Mayo Clinic researchers actively study medications and treatments for people with kidney transplants, including new medications (immunosuppressive medications) to keep your body from rejecting your kidney transplant.
Researchers are also investigating better ways to lower antibody levels in your blood to reduce rejection of a donor kidney and improve outcomes when the match between a donor and recipient isn't ideal (ABO incompatible and positive crossmatch kidney transplant).
Other research areas include looking at new ways to use immunosuppressive medications, including tacrolimus (Prograf, Protopic, others), sirolimus (Rapamune), belatacept (Nulojix) and steroid-free immunosuppression medication options, to help reduce side effects and complications for people with kidney transplants.
Read more about the Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Research Program.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ranks No. 1 for diabetes and endocrinology in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for diabetes and endocrinology by U.S. News & World Report.
The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories
Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients.
Brothers mark 40th transplant anniversary
Pete Suby thought he had the flu. He'd been exhausted for a while and had recently vomited at work. An appointment at Mayo Clinic would reveal a much more serious reason for his symptoms: Pete's kidneys were failing. He was just 25 years old. "They couldn't believe I was standing up," says Pete, who went straight to the ICU. It was February 1982. The news wasn't a complete surprise though. When Pete was in middle…
Gabriel Ryan wasn't supposed to live. Today, he is thriving
Eric and Micayla Ryan were experienced parents. They had three children already and thought this ultrasound would be as routine as the ones that had come before. They knew what to expect. Or so they thought. But instead of reassurance, this ultrasound revealed a problem: cysts on the kidneys of the Goodhue, Minnesota, couple's fourth child. Their doctor arranged for the Ryans to meet with specialists at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, some 30 miles away,…
Innovative program enables patients who are obese to get kidney transplants
For many patients seeking kidney transplant, obesity is a barrier. Body mass index (BMI) is a traditional criterion for transplant, and a large portion of potential kidney transplant recipients currently have BMIs above the cutoff. Two physicians at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, are paving the way to transplant for patients with higher BMIs. Patients, like Wells Larsen, who, because of an innovative new program, has new kidneys and a new outlook on life. Wells…
Kidney transplant gets chef back to the kitchen
As a chef, Melvin Austin was used to working odd hours. Soda, sweet tea, and chocolate cake kept him awake during graveyard shifts, along with a 2 a.m. snack. Melvin wasn’t too worried until one day in 2002, when he arrived at work out of breath. "I thought I was overworked, and I needed rest. Plus, I knew I was overweight," says the 55-year-old Gainesville, Florida resident. But Melvin’s boss sent him to the hospital.…
A father's gift to his son
Father's Day will be extra-special this year for the Teeples family in La Crosse, Wisconsin. After spending much of his two years in a hospital bed with a rare kidney disease, toddler Easton Teeples has returned home from Mayo Clinic after a lifesaving transplant from dear old dad. https://youtu.be/G870m0WfMek It's a special bond between father and son. For Steve Teeples and his first child, Easton, it's extraordinary. Easton was diagnosed as a newborn with congenital…
Chain of transplants gives gift of life to Minnesota teacher
Amy Infanger had a rare kidney disease and a difficult path to transplant. A transplant chain involving 16 people across the country got her the match she needed and the chance to grow old with her family. Nearly 100,000 Americans are on a waiting list to receive a kidney transplant. For one Minnesota woman, finding a [...]
Son's offer: 'You gave me two kidneys. The least I can do is give one back'
Andrew Austin with Jean Austin-Danner Andrew Austin urged his mom to come to Mayo Clinic, where he works, for care for kidney disease. When he learned she needed a kidney transplant, he knew what he wanted to do. Jean Austin-Danner was in her 30s when she was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, an inherited condition [...]
Expertise and rankings
Kidney transplant interdisciplinary team
Kidney transplant interdisciplinary teamwork at Mayo Clinic
Experience
Mayo Clinic kidney transplant surgeons have performed more than 7,000 procedures using state-of-the-art technology since performing their first kidney transplant in 1963.
Each year, Mayo Clinic surgeons perform approximately 700 kidney transplants, including numerous complex surgical procedures at campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
The Mayo Clinic kidney transplant team has extensive experience in the most complex types of kidney transplantation, including ABO incompatible, positive crossmatch and paired donation kidney transplants.
As a three-site institution, Mayo Clinic has one of the largest living-donor kidney transplant programs in the United States.
Innovation and research
Mayo Clinic transplant researchers take a leading role in efforts to find new, improved ways to conduct all aspects of transplantation, expanding the availability of transplants, reducing risks and improving the outcomes of transplantation.
Our experts have pioneered many procedures, including living-donor kidney transplants and kidney transplant before dialysis is needed.
The Mayo Clinic Transplant Center supports many studies for kidney transplant research.
Kidney transplant research at Mayo Clinic
Kidney transplant research at Mayo Clinic
Nationally recognized expertise
Kidney transplant outcomes at Mayo Clinic compare favorably with the national average.
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ranks No. 1 for diabetes and endocrinology in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for diabetes and endocrinology by U.S. News & World Report.
Volumes and outcomes
Mayo Clinic doctors' experience and integrated team approach results in transplant outcomes that compare favorably with national averages. Teams work with transplant recipients before, during and after surgery to ensure the greatest likelihood of superior results.
Volumes and statistics are maintained separately for the three Mayo Clinic locations. Taken together or separately, transplant recipients at Mayo Clinic enjoy excellent results.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic Transplant Center offers care and housing for transplant patients and their families in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
Costs and insurance
Kidney transplant costs and insurance information
Mayo Clinic has dedicated transplant financial services representatives and social workers who can assist you with insurance and financial questions regarding your transplant.
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people. In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. Many insurance companies require you to get preapproval authorization prior to transplant services.
Insurance information
Before your transplant, it's important that you work closely with your insurance company to understand your benefit plan. You'll be responsible for any of your transplant and medical care costs not covered by your insurance company.
You may want to ask your insurance company several questions regarding your transplant expenses, including:
- What is the specific coverage of my plan? What are my deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, lifetime maximum amount and annual maximum amounts for both medical care and transplant services?
- Does my plan have a preexisting or waiting period clause? If so, what is the time frame? Can this be waived?
- Does my plan include pharmacy coverage? If so, will my plan cover my current medications and immunosuppressant medications?
- Does my plan require any special approvals for evaluation or transplant? How long does the approval process take once submitted to insurance?
- Does my plan cover my transportation and lodging expenses during my transplant care?
- Does my current insurance require enrollment in Medicare when eligible?
- Does my insurance follow Medicare Coordination of Benefits guidelines?
- How will my current coverage change after enrolling in Medicare? Will my plan become a supplemental or secondary plan?
If your plan is a Medicare supplement, ask questions including:
- Does my plan follow Medicare guidelines?
- Does my plan cover Medicare Parts A and B deductible and coinsurance?
- Does my plan have a preexisting or waiting period clause? If so, what is the time frame?
- Does my plan offer an option for Medicare Part D coverage?
Other expenses
Please plan for other expenses that may occur related to your transplant, which may include follow-up medical appointments, long-term medications, caregiver expenses, travel, parking, lodging and other expenses.
For international patients
Mayo Clinic has dedicated international patient account representatives who can assist you with questions regarding your costs and insurance. Read more about international financial services.
Case managers
Mayo Clinic financial staff will work closely with your case managers from your insurance company. Your case manager, who is assigned to you, is available to answer questions and calls related to your insurance costs.